The real Glaswegian working class voice in the independence debate read by thousands, the BBC and other related media, secured the first criminal conviction against one of the seven top cybernats outed by the Daily Mail

Many in the SNP hold their position because of one man, Alex
Salmond, he gave them the opportunity to be MPs and MSPs, they certainly don’t
have loyalty towards Nicola Sturgeon and the new regime.

Pete Wishart is a relic of the Salmond era, so in a sense he
is a senior SNP MP, but despite being a complete banger who can go off on one
from time to time, he has managed to understand Brexit, and the stupidity of
putting your face against it.

As a senior SNP MP he is now openly criticising Nicola
Sturgeon's support for a second Brexit vote, there will be no second, the die
is cast on that, and for those interested in elections, don’t hold your breath
for an early Westminster
election. The budget by the government wasn’t an election budget. It was a run
of the mill affair to calm the waters, splash some cash and tell everyone that
everything is rosy in the garden.

However there are still a few thorns in the garden so
careful where you step!

Nicola Sturgeon is hyped, like Salmond was to be seen as a ‘see
all know all’ politician, the hype however doesn’t match the reality, wrong on
indy, wrong on Trump, wrong on Brexit. Sturgeon was hopeless as Health Sec, had
no impact taking over Alex Neil’s position, other than a few pictures standing
beside a shovel or spade. Sturgeon’s constant trips out of Scotland to
other countries were to try and build up her persona as a ‘statesman’ but she
might as well have saved the airfares.

Nicola Sturgeon is a fringe politician
as seen by her agenda for government. If you had a blank piece of paper, could
you remember the ‘big’ bills she has steered through Holyrood?

Probably not!

Sturgeon tinkers with policies, she doesn’t alter structures,
not in any meaningful sense of how people would think or imagine change. Nicola
Sturgeon cannot affect Brexit, in fact her antics coupled with that of her MPs
effectively barred them having any meaningful contribution or input in the
talks. When Pete Wishart condemns Sturgeon’s position as “little more than an
open invitation to have our national view ignored and disrespected all over
again”; he must realise that Sturgeon closed the door, the people on the other
side can’t waste time opening to hear a meaningless rhetoric being spewed out.

Nicola Sturgeon was wrong to say that she and her MPs would
back a so-called “People’s Vote” on the final Brexit deal. A serious point was
downgraded by her into a pathetic attention seeking PR for publicity. Such was
her ‘support;, she didn’t even go to the anti Brexit march, but instead sent a
video message.

So, the question for Pete Wishart is he after all his talk
and being the SNP’s longest-serving representative in Westminster going to
follow the other sheep into the lobby to vote against the Brexit deal or will he
vote with the UK government or abstain.

Is Pete Wishart too old to be a rebel or too old to be doing
the right thing?

One thing that Wishart wrote in the pro-independence
National newspaper was that , Scotland’s
overwhelming vote to remain in the European Union was “totally ignored” in 2016.

The truth is that Scotland didn’t vote as a country to
remain in the EU, this was a UK wide vote, why the Nationalists keep using this
falsehood is easy to understand, they want people to think that the countries
in the UK have each one vote. The reality is that the people of the UK in England,
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales voted to leave the European
Union.

A million Scots voted to leave!

Wishart said:

“To say that we will sign up to a referendum without any
guarantee that our Scottish national voice will be at least acknowledged is
little more than an open invitation to have our national view ignored and
disrespected all over again. We are simply inviting all the indignities we are
currently enduring to be replicated and refreshed.”

Wishart confuses the ‘national view’ as the SNP view.

One thing that Nicola Sturgeon’s stupidity did was weaken
the SNP’s hand in that now they would have to say that there would be two votes
on independence, if they ever won and that is highly unlikely, they would have
to say that a second deal on the terms would be held.

Brexit gave the SNP an opportunity to be on the winning
side, they chose the wrong side, they set themselves up for a fall; and on the
night of the Euro count in Glasgow;
their cheers were rather short lived. They were cocky that they had won, but
later in the evening as I predicted the UK referendum was won by the Leave
Campaign.

Leave won the people, 23rd June 2016 was the true
people’s vote!

What Pete Wishart’s public intervention means in reality is
that the SNP MPs and presumably others are looking forward towards a post
Sturgeon exit; she isn’t delivering a second Scottish independence referendum.
The recent poll of a pro UK Holyrood in 2021 is a turning point in nationalist
politics, back to the drawing board.

The first thing on the board will no doubt be a change of
leader!

Finally, although some people might think that there is a
load of talent in the nationalist ranks, you should take the story of Ian
Blackford to heart, he stands up and says he is a ‘simple crofter’ then is
publicly humiliated in the House of Commons as a Conservative MP tells him, the
House and the TV audience that his ‘simple’ croft is valued at £500,000.

Clearly; these people are too stupid to run anything never
mind a country.

'No legal basis' to suspend Alex Salmond because the
complaint wasn’t brought by an SNP member, at the time many people thought this
excuse was rubbish. Today, the SNP has suspended a member accused of “vile
anti-Semitism” for citing Hitler in an attack against Jewish Labour activist
Rhea Wolfson. Wolfson is part of the Corbyn faction in the Labour, and a GMB Scotland organiser.

Gareth Wardell, who runs the Grouse Beater blog, is now the
subject of a complaint to the party’s disciplinary committee. The reason for
this is that Wardell posted on Monday about GMB Scotland organiser
Rhea Wolfson, and the equal pay dispute in Glasgow. He alleged that Wolfson had been
making the most of Hitler’s “fascist ideology” in the dispute.

He also referred to the GMB as a “Cockney clique”.

After the article made its debut, it was shared by SNP
branches for Livingston East, Edinburgh Eastern and various SNP councillors.
Interestingly these branches have been deleting the links they put up.

Now, the SNP is saying that Wolfson deserved “a full apology
from the author for the clear offence that has been caused”.

In a section titled “Hitler’s view”, the blog said:

“In Part 1 of Mein Kampf, Hitler attacks unions over and
over again. Unions are fascism’s Public Enemy Number 1”.

He added:

“He accused ‘The Jew’ of gradually assuming leadership of
the trade union movement. Hitler wanted a blindly obedient fighting force loyal
only to the national leader of government. Whether or not Wolfson is
intellectually aware of Hitler’s outlook is unknown but she certainly knows how
to make the most of it.”

It seems that Gareth Wardell has a lot of explaining to do;
given the SNP is run as a cult, and clearly Wardell isn’t a part of it but more
a useful idiot, I think I would put a bet on being expelled. The SNP are quick
to act when it affects the ‘rat ship’ and with bad polling for Nicola Sturgeon,
anything which reminds people how chummy the SNP wanted to get with the Nazis
during WW2 takes the gloss off.

Rhea Wolfson is also the Labour candidate for Livingston and
a past victim of anti-Semitic abuse, in politics if you get known you get
attacked. The SNP cybernats are particularly active in that field especially if
you are a candidate for public office.

Paul Sweeney, Labour MP for Glasgow North East, described
the blog post as “utterly reprehensible”

On Tuesday, The Herald published Mr Wardell’s defence, in
which he said his opponents had used “fascist language” to make his argument
about Ms Wolfson sound “sinister”.

He added:

“It's quite a stretch for me to be anti-Semitic, brought up
in Jewish family.”

No doubt he will say this to the SNP Disciplinary Committee
as part of his explanation.

Wardell continued:

“The only sinister aspect to my essay is the way political
opponents tried to make it sound sinister. They use the fascist language it
warns about, anti-intellectual, portraying everything in terms of 'them and
us'. Ms Wolfson has been grievously misled. When advised what they were up to I
strengthened the praise of her anti-Semitic stance in relation to Labour's troubles.
In this case it's quite a stretch for me to be anti-Semitic brought up in
Jewish family. As for GMB boss Tim Roache's thuggish response, how can one have
a rational discussion with a man who boasts he did not read the blog, but
thinks it 'disgusting'. His role as the arrogant Englishman is not appreciated.
Then again, I don't mind political opponents making a fool of themselves.”

To distance himself from the SNP, he added:

“Not an office bearer. Not an 'active' member. Don't stick
leaflets in letterboxes, or stand with placards on street corners. Don't attend
SNP meetings. Don't march if it means walking with my legs.”

One thing that everyone should know in politics is that just
because you are in a party, these people in the political bubble are not your
friends; another mistake would be to tell people about your private life or who
you associate with, in the past Rhea Wolfson found this out the hard way.

Finally as to Wardell, don’t think the SNP will be standing
by him after this, he appears to be history; he is going to find out that the
SNP cult isn’t his friends either. The SNP won’t want the spotlight of anti-Semitism
on them, they kick out Wardell; they make a song and dance how they took strong
action.

‘She disnae call, she disnae write’, and with the spotlight
on Alex Salmond over allegations that he was allegedly involved in sexual
misconduct, it beggars belief if she ever will call or write or be photographed
with him again. Alex Salmond jumped ship from the SNP before Nicola Sturgeon
was forced to push him out. He on the way out the door declared he will be
back.

C’mon big man……. Behave!!!!

Yes, it seems the towering figure of SNP politics has a few
hurdles to get over, before or if he is allowed back in the party. Sex and
politics don’t mix well which is why we see so many car crashes played out in
the media. If you are married and fool around, the situation goes nuclear, lots
of unhappiness sparkled with divorce. When Stewart Hosie ‘traded’ in his wife,
Shona Robison for a younger model with less miles on the clock, Nicola Sturgeon
sided with her pal, and given she was in the Sturgeon Cabinet, it was a no
brainer.

Sex can wreck careers, and if you are a guy trying to get ‘extra’
sex rations outside the martial bed, well more the fool you, especially if you
get outed.

Alex Salmond is denying all wrongdoing and criminality in
his problem; he is continuing with his TV show for the RT Channel with belongs
to the Russians. The Russians aren’t giving up on him just yet; they are
standing by him, unlike Nicola Sturgeon who can’t get further enough away from
him. If Alex Salmond goes down with his ship, Sturgeon is going to make sure
that she is nowhere onboard.

When you are in trouble, you find out who your real pals
are, these are the people who standby you come hell or high water, in politics,
the concept is similar but once you have a problem, allies disappear like the
Sun behind a cloud. It is said that Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon
relationship has hits a new low over SNP harassment email which Salmond allies
call a “fishing expedition” that was “clearly focused” on Salmond. Nicola
Sturgeon’s leadership is so bad, one wonders who many people think that in
order to protect her, anyone who could be a leadership threat had to be
neuralised.

The SNP email advised former party staff on how to report
concerns of bullying and harassment days after sexual misconduct allegations
involving Alex Salmond were published, they used the classic defence
that this was “duty of care” on their part. If you know anything about the SNP,
then you know they don’t give a toss about “duty of care” especially for their
members. I can understand Alex Salmond’s allies being angry, they must be
looking around, seeing the Nationalist ship sinking in the polls, poor
leadership from Sturgeon, government going nowhere, and think Alex can save the
ship.

Nicola can’t!

Polling is showing what I have been saying for ages and a
day; we are looking at a pro UK
majority sitting in the Holyrood parliament in 2021.

Many SNP MSPs face losing their meal ticket at Holyrood in
2021, and with people having mortgages et al, you can’t escape the conclusion
that fear is building up in the ranks.

Change of leader is always seen as the remedy!

The SNP is run by the Murrells, Nicola Sturgeon and her
pensioner husband who likes to keep out of the spotlight for obvious reasons.
If there is a Salmond return to leadership, then it is likely that Nicola
Sturgeon wouldn’t survive the cull as Team Salmond move their people into key
positions. Nicola Sturgeon would probably be kept on for window dressing as
Salmond talks about the ‘new generation’ coming through, with him leading the
change. All sounds fresh, all sounds new, all sounds like a purge.

Although Salmond’s public bitterness has been directed at Leslie
Evans, top Government civil servant, it is also understood he is angry with Sturgeon.
If Salmond goes to town on Sturgeon, it would be logical that he is also going
to town on Sturgeon’s husband. SNP headquarters, run by Sturgeon’s husband
Peter Murrell, wrote to staff three days after lurid details of one of the
sexual misconduct allegations against Salmond came to light, post ‘tits and ass’
revelations, although Salmond was not named in the email, it is said the context
was explicitly in relation to recent media coverage.

A senior headquarters figure wrote:

“The past few days have seen new stories concerning
allegations of sexual misconduct. I appreciate that seeing such reports can be
upsetting and distressing. We take our responsibility, whether you are current
staff or a former employee, extremely seriously.”

She continued:

“In terms of the communication channels for reporting
concerns, the SNP is firm in its belief that allegations of bullying and
harassment must be taken seriously and that anyone who considers that they have
been subject to such behaviour must feel able to come forward.”

It seems that Alex Salmond has a number of fights piling up,
fight with the Judicial Review, fight with Police Scotland, fight with Nicola
Sturgeon, fight with Peter Murrell, fight to get back into Holyrood and a fight
with the public over his reputation, fight to regain the leadership and then
indy fighting.

And of course a clearout at SNP HQ, that purge would make a
good documentary.

The Murrells must be sweating, Salmond said he is
no saint, in the past, I blogged, ‘She disnae call, she disnae write’ and
added, ‘she disnae send the SNP membership form’, with a glimpse of this
running saga you can possible expect denial of membership.

If the SNP under
Nicola Sturgeon and her husband deny Salmond a membership return, it could
solve many problems in the short term. How that would play out in the long run
is another matter. Weeks after the ‘trawl’ email was sent, a newspaper reported
that several alleged complaints against Salmond had been lodged with the SNP
and had been passed to an independent lawyer.

Finally at times like this, I am reminded
of the old saying with ‘friends’ like Nicola Sturgeon who needs enemies!

The Tommy Robinson case has become a circus, who would have
thought when Robinson was wrongly put in prison that we would see a snowball
effect which puts the establishment of trial.

So, what is the problem in the Tommy Robinson case?

It basically is this, there isn’t any evidence that he
committed contempt of court, and to add insult to injury, there is plenty of
evidence that he was treated unfairly, and treated badly in prison prior to his
release. Such is the concern about this case that the new judge at the Old
Bailey has referred this contempt case back to the attorney general. Apparently
this case is too complex for Nicholas Hilliard, the recorder of London; you may find this
an eye opener given his bio.

This isn’t any newbie judge, but the task for Nicholas
Hillard is how to put a square peg in a round hole and make it look
professional. If he is any good at Law, he would know that this case is a
loser. I suspect he does hence he has kicked this case back into the long grass
and offloading this to the attorney general. In this case, the establishment
have lost badly even before the latest attempt at getting a second guilty verdict.

In what must be a seen as a smart move, the decision to
refer the case to the attorney general would allow Robinson’s contempt charges
to be heard in a proper adversarial setting, in which a lawyer could present
evidence and question witnesses to make the case.

Hillard said he had made the decision after receiving a
statement from Robinson on Monday in which he proposed to give evidence in his
own defence. Here is a link to his statement.

Yesterday; Tommy Robinson walked free from Court, but prior
to going in he address a large crowd, in which he called the press, the ‘enemies
of the people’. This apparently upset a few media punters and as you can see
from twitter, the press was none too pleased about the fact he isn’t in jail.

In rush to judgement and getting out the burning cross, what
seems to be lost to these people is that an important legal point is being
made, take out Robinson, and look at the issues. It seems to me that evidence
for some doesn’t matter; they want Tommy Robinson in jail because it fits their
narrative.

Judge Hilliard said:

“It is sufficient for present purposes to say that the
nature and extent of the controversy to be considered emerged far more clearly
from that statement [provided by Robinson] than ever before. It may be
necessary to look at quite a lot of the detail of what Mr Yaxley-Lennon said in
the broadcast [featuring the alleged contempt] as to come to the overall
picture as to what happened. I’m satisfied in the light of the issues as they
now appear, as they emerged from the statement of yesterday, that
cross-examination of Mr Yaxley-Lennon is necessary for a proper and thorough
examination and resolution of the case that is in the public interest.”

Hillard made the right decision; this case is within the
realm of the public interest. Although this case is serious, you can find quite
a bit of humour looking at what some people are saying, like Otto English.

“So fresh from his court appearance - Tommy Robinson dines
on a 3 course meal in the House of Lords before being driven back to his
million pound gated Bedfordshire pile. Meanwhile his hapless followers - still
clutching those cans - drift home - comforted that they've funded him.

People like Otto English are part of the reason why ordinary
working class people support Tommy Robinson, the contempt he shows when he
writes about Robinson’s ‘hapless followers’ is why people turn away from the
political class and their helpers in the press.

If I was the attorney general, I wouldn’t keep digging a
hole, this case is a loser, it was lost the minute the Police arrested Tommy
Robinson on a charge of breach of the peace. That lie was used to slap him in
handcuffs in order to put him through a kangaroo court where evidence didn’t
matter or Robinson’s rights. What we could be looking at is the most important
case to come to the Old Bailey which could change the way that the law is
applied relating to contempt of court. Forget Robinson look at the evidence,
sadly it is something which seems to be getting lost in the rush to jail him.

Finally, to show how desperate some people are to get him on
anything; Section 41 of the Criminal Justice act 1925 makes it an offence to
photograph people within court precincts. City of London police have said they are looking into
whether any offences were committed at Robinson’s September court appearance.
Given Robinson was put in a private room prior to going into court, no one is
going to get a conviction out of that, talk about grasping at straws!

Wherever there is strip clubs there are always people to object to them on various grounds. Strip clubs are a good way to money for
women; which is why then other women try to end their livelihood, they get
rather annoyed. about it

When people get annoy, they end up getting angry and then
run their mouth. At present, there is a protest group in Kirkcaldy about the planned
opening of a strip club in a Fife town. One of
the protestors is a former councillor Marie Penman; apparently, she is alleged
to have suffered sexist abuse which the Police are investigating.

Penman is a protest organiser against the strip club said
two men in a van wound down their windows and shouted at her:

“Get your tits out, you virgin!”

If you have ever been in Kirkcaldy, it is a bit chilly, as to the claim she is a ‘virgin’, I am sure that Ms Penman will be able to enlighten
people as to the truth of that statement or otherwise. Kirkcaldy is about 11 miles north of Edinburgh on the East
Coast, I am not sure if that is virgin territory.

Oh, and for people interested in buildings, Kirkcaldy has a town
square!

Police Scotland
are said to be looking into her complaint about the abuse, after the comment of
“Get your tits out, you virgin!”, the men in the van were also alleged to have
circled the square for another few minutes and continued to shout abuse at her.
The protest against the strip club has attracted about 50 protestors out of a
town with about a population of 50,000. Clearly, the majority of the town feel
this is a non issue, among the protestors were two councillors, Judy Hamilton
and Mary Lockhart.

Mary Lockhart suggested in a Facebook post that headlines
critical of Labour's position could be the work of the Israeli security
services.

Lockhart is also an independence supporter.

The protest was organised by a new group calling themselves;
Women Together in Fife (WTF). Most people recognise WTF as What the Fuck which
unless IQs have dropped in Fife lately couldn’t
have escaped the attention of the protest organisers. In the spirit of standing
up for local business, there was a counter protest against Penman and Lockhart’s
group.

The strip club is apparently to be called Sin, which no
doubt will be staffed by young good looking women who have no objection to
taking their clothes off for money.

Ms Penman said after the abuse:

"It kind of sums up why I object to places like Sin.cIt
sends out the message that it's okay to treat women any way you want and to
view them as purely sexual objects. I took a note of the van's number-plate and
reported it to Police Scotland.”

Having seen a picture of Ms Penman and of Mary Lockhart, I
don’t think that any reasonably man would treat these two women as ‘sexual
objects’. Although Ms Penman puts a decent effort into her appearance, she isn’t
good looking, and as for Labour Cllr Mary Lockhart, she is just a fright!

Police Scotland
have confirmed receipt of the reported incident but said it was too early to
say whether there was a full investigation being carried out into;

“Get your tits out, you virgin!”

I think Police Scotland might need a bit more if they are to
pass this up the chain to the PF. Clearly context is everything, and with the
protest going on, this maybe be viewed as being part of the counter protest. Or
passersby just being gobby with no agenda at the Po Faced Penman and her band.
It could even be argued in the event of court action that given there was 50 protestors that the comment wasn't aimed directly at her.

Penman added:

“The protest is about the fact that clubs like this still
exist in modern Scotland -
they just seem like they're from a bygone era, when women were seen purely as
sexual objects. We're all about equality and fairness in society and I don't
believe strip clubs offer this. We're not trying to tell these women that they
can't do what they want - we're saying these clubs shouldn't exist in the first
place.”

Modern Scotland!

Clearly Penman and Lockhart with their protest outside in
Kirkcaldy do think they can tell people what they can do and what they can’t,
and I find it odd that they claim that their campaign is about equality and
fairness in society.

That statement is a load of crap.

Equality is about people doing what they want to do as long
as it is legal, what the Women Together in Fife
are all about is oppression. Club owner Mario Caira has said he was
"dumbfounded" by the planned protest saying:

“We are doing nothing illegal.”

Caira added:

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The attitude in
real terms to anyone that chooses to take up whatever kind of employment is
wrong. It has to be up to the individual what they choose to do. There is
nobody forcing anybody to do anything. It is rather disappointing in this day
and age that people think they can dictate to others what they should and
shouldn't do. We live in a democracy, a free country, where people have free
choices to decide what they want to do, whether it be male or female, whether
they be dancers, football fans, whatever.”

One thing I saw while in the SNP was that nationalists would
take up ‘fake causes’ which they couldn’t do anything about. The local council
says that the new lap dancing club which will be housed above the existing
Kitty's nightclub and does not need a licence, the existing licence covers it.
When the protestors pack up and jog on, life will return to normal, however one
wonders about the role of Common Weal Fife, which launched a petition against
the club.

I doubt the people of Kirkcaldy are willing to be lectured
by the likes of her and Mary Lockhart; Penman ran the Yes Campaign in Fife but
strangely doesn’t appear to have put this in her linkedin page from what I can
tell.

Finally, you can only go to the beach in Kirkcaldy and feed
the seagulls so many times before you seek adventure elsewhere. Clearly Club
owner Mario Caira has spotted a gap in the market for entertainment. Although I
am a Brexiteer, I wish Mario Caira who is Italian every success with his
business, the same can’t be said from Nationalist camp who claims to stand for equality and fairness.

You may have noticed in the press that there was an anti
Brexit march in London
asking for a second vote. The march organised by the political elite was all
about attempting to keep their networking links in Europe.
In order to do so, this would mean the UK staying in the EU. The EU is corrupt, some say we should have asked for reform,
over the years, we did, 72 times, we asked for specific measures and 72 times
our voices were ignored.

Although there is talk of a reformed EU, I doubt the
people currently controlling it have the political will to do so. These people
want a United States of Europe with an
un-elected EU Commission in charge, so long as they get ‘their cut’ and a seat
at the table.

23rd June 2016, the UK voted to leave, 29th March
2017, we sent in the letter to leave, this set the two year clock ticking. Now,
there is talk about extending the transition period by the Prime Minister
Theresa May. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has admitted the UK Government is
considering an extension.

He said:

“I’m open-minded about using a short extension of the
implementation period – let’s say three months”.

I am not in favour of extension because we will find
ourselves in a position were we will have shown to be weak. The UK national
interest is not solved by extended transition, but by showing strength, we
voted to leave, we should leave. There is no pressure on the UK to agree a future
deal while we are in the EU, and we shouldn’t act like there is. I am one of
those people who favour ‘hard Brexit’, the EU wanted to punish us for leaving,
and have shown themselves to be less than agreeable to a fair solution.

The issue of the transition extension has put the Prime
Minister at loggerheads with Scots Tories, who see an extension as a betrayal
of Scotland’s
fishing industry. We were told that the UK would take back control of its fishing
waters on Brexit Day next March, now we get a story, no, it will now be 2020.
One thing which isn’t about Brexit is the Scottish Conservatives attempt to win
the Holyrood contest of 2021. This is the most important election ever to be
held in Holyrood history and the Scottish Conservatives see themselves in with
a chance.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has contacted Number 10 to
express his concerns, and ask that there should be an opt-out for the fishing
industry from the CFP. That will not happen, if the EU ‘contract’ is extended,
then all rights are extended, which could see a legal challenge from either the
EU, foreign governments or foreign fishermen.

It doesn’t look like ‘opt out’ is realistic.

You can add to that scenario that the EU27 would agree to
this in principle or by deed, especially those whose trawlers fish in UK
waters.

“I could not support a deal that would include staying in
the Common Fisheries Policy beyond December 2020.”

He added:

“What's important is that we send out a very strong signal
to everyone who is negotiating on behalf of the UK that this is an issue that is
extremely important for our Scottish communities that we represent. We cannot
have the CFP.”

Scottish Conservatives need a big boost to kick start their
attempt to win Holyrood, and if you ask the question, ‘what is that got to do
with the price of fish’; well getting the opt out is certainly a big win for
them. One thing the Scottish Conservatives have been championing is the fishing
industry, probably more so than any other political party in Scotland.
Conservative Peer Ian Duncan led the charge while an MEP for years, while the
SNP under Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were willing to sell the Scottish
fishermen down the river without a second thought.

The strength of feeling on this issue is so strong that it
might lead to Scootish Conservatives being prepared to vote against the
Government, even possibly voting down the Chancellor’s Budget. This then puts
Theresa May in a difficult place, as if it wasn’t hard enough at present with ‘rebel
talk’ all around her and tempers wearing rather thin.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab calling for goodwill and
"a bit of oomph on both sides" to get the exit deal over the line
might not happen. It seems that some people are apparently working on the
leadership bid for the party from the Brexiteer camp.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has a valid point when he
stated:

“It would be rather odd if we ended up in that bridging
temporary mechanism without a route out. It could be time-limited, there could
be another mechanism. I probably wouldn’t call it an ejector seat but there
needs to be something which allows us to control how long we are there for to
avoid any sense that we are left indefinitely in a sort of customs union limbo.
That wouldn’t be acceptable.”

No deal is better than a bad deal in my opinion, in relation
to the Irish border, I would throw that ball back into the EU’s court and say
to them, if you want a border in Ireland, you build it, run it and
talk the flak for it. I would then sit back and watch the Irish have their
fight with the EU.

Who knows maybe they will say time up and call it a day with
Brussels as
well!

The Prime Minister is said to be 95% there in getting
agreements for the Brexit deal but this is a case were she needs 100 over 100,
a perfect score and then sell it to her MPs and the Country.

On the border, the PM said:

“The commitment to avoiding a hard border is one that this
House emphatically endorsed and enshrined in law in the Withdrawal Act earlier
this year. As I set out last week, the original backstop proposal from the EU
was one we could not accept, as it would mean creating a customs border down
the Irish Sea and breaking up the integrity of the UK. I do not believe that any UK
Prime Minister could ever accept this. And I certainly will not.”

So, basically we could be seeing all or nothing, nothing
being hard Brexit, which is were I thought we should be right from the start. This
is politics and like football, anything can happen, even if it seems bizarre
and totally out of the left field.

Finally, the Brexit march in London
is meaningless, the UK
government and the UK
people are heading towards Brexit, the elites will continue to press for
another referendum vote, but that won’t happen. When you see people like Nicola
Sturgeon and Labour MP Chuka Umunna supporting this march, you know one thing
if you voted leave, you did the right thing!

The United Kingdom
is the first to leave the European Union, but as events in Europe unfold, they
may not be the last; Italy
according to a recent poll has become the most eurosceptic country within the
European Union.

The tipping point in the change of public opinion like the UK has been a
long time coming, but the rise of the populists in Italian elections is further
proof that the EU project is failing. A recent poll found only 44 percent of
Italians would vote to remain in the bloc if a referendum were held.

Funnily Italy
is even less positive on the European Union than the United Kingdom, that might seem a
surprise but when you factor in the migrant crisis that hit Italian soil,
perhaps it is not although strange. Countries bordering the Med have been
particularly hard hit and effected as the Med is a route used by human
traffickers.

I suppose given this poll, the question must be when the
Italians will take the next step and hold a referendum. Although the Italians
by enlarge like keeping the Euro as a currency, it is doubtful they wouldn’t
over time have the same feelings towards a return to the Lira.

There has been talk that in order to save the European
project that it would have to reinvent, but the problem with this is that the
same people with the same mindset would continue. This reinvention if it
occurred might simply be a roll back of the political path already trodden, a
pause, before the political elite try the same plan again on intergration.

Salvini added:

“I dream of a Europe that
does few things and does them well. The next year’s European elections
will be a historic occasion.”

What the EU should be is a trade bloc, the overreach into
sovereignty has been a complete disaster; people need back control of their
laws, not made by unelected and unaccountable people in the EU Commission. The
EU Parliament is a toothless body, it is a sham, all real power lies with the
EU Commission, and we didn’t vote any of them in.

Salvini further added:

“I expect a sea of votes across the continent for those who
want to respect their identities and peoples, against the arrogant impositions
of financial speculators and the absurd laws of bureaucrats living on another
planet. It will be a new European Spring of Freedom!”

The return of sovereignty is set to be the most pressing
problem on the political stage in Europe, along
with the migrant crisis and the social unrest. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
with her stupidity has taken Europe to the
brink of disaster, her future is bleak.

As Italy
rails against the EU, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is warning his Italian
counterpart Giuseppe Conte not to break the budgetary rules set out by the
European Union. The business of setting the Italian budget is an Italian
affair, but such is the interference of the EU that they feel they can walk all
over the Italian people.

Initially, the Italians were unhappy about a lack of
progress in solving migrant issues; they even went as far as threatening to stop sending
Brussels money.
Now the conflict has revolved around the Italian budget which has increased
spending to pay for the Five Star Movement’s basic income programme.

How Italians spend their money is their business, but given
the way the EU works, this spending affects how much the EU gives out money,
and clearly they uses this an economic weapon to keep member states in line. President
Jean-Claude Juncker said earlier this week that the Italian budget could provoke a
violent counter-reaction in other eurozone countries.

So, what would be the violent counter-reaction?

Armed invasion?

Finally, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said:

“The appreciation for membership of the Union and its
benefits is growing in almost all of Europe.
The single currency also appeals to the great majority of citizens.”

This is gloss, the underlining problems in Europe are immigration,
security and unemployment and the EU has created major problems with the first
two, and regards to the third, they have undermined the people of Europe. They have deliberately used the migrant crisis to
affect employment opportunities, and to bring in cheap labour to help the major
corporations suppress wages.

You will no doubt be familiar with the term ‘self serving
politicians’, in Scotland, there are six MEPs, both the Labour and SNP MEPs are
deeply upset with the prospect of unemployment. They are so much in denial that
they have banded together in what is termed a ‘cross party’ group to attempt by
any means to stop Brexit. The Labour MEP Catherine Stihler says ‘Brexit is not
inevitable’ and that the ‘UK can
change its mind’.

This is of course delusion, despite the hot air, uproar,
deal, no deal, irish border, threats, more threats, unhappiness and general
smoke and mirrors, Brexit is still going forward. 29th March 2019, the UK leaves
the European Union as a member. The countdown is on; it started the moment that
the Prime Minister put in the letter to leave.

What we have now, isn’t a discussion on whether we can stay,
we won’t be, but on whether there will be a post exit trade deal.

Brexit has won, Brexit is over, there is no going back,
there are no protest marches of millions on the street, the public who voted to
stay have in the main accepted the decision. Although the ‘elites’ are
promoting a so called ‘people’s vote’, the actual vote by the people has taken
place, it is that ‘will’ the UK government is taking
forward.

I met Catherine Stihler at a BBC radio show hosted by Gordon
Brewer, she is didn’t have a good debate, and some of the audience where
hostile, Brexit had made people pretty heated. Catherine had lost because she
was divorced from the reality on the ground having enjoyed being in the EU
bubble. In the bubble, lots of money, lots of travel, private supermarkets,
nail salons and allowances. Yes, the allowances were great especially if you
were party minded and wanted to throw a bash.

Prime Minister Theresa May faces a tough fight, the real
fight is in her own party, if no deal occurs then we are under the World Trade
Organisation rules, there won’t be chaos as many of the privilege few has
constantly said. If you think back to the Y2K event in 2000, people thought
because computers were changing that everything would stop, we are still here!
We will still be here after the 29th March 2019.

Although people like to play out the Brexit talks between
the UK and
EU as seemingly deadlocked, the EU is under pressure to get a deal, we buy more
from the EU than they buy from us. If you think how ‘big business’ operates,
the men in the grey suits will have a word in the ear of EU politicians to
remind of a pertinent fact, money talks.

Catherine Stihler says Britain should not be afraid
to change its mind over leaving the EU by holding a People’s Vote referendum.
This is the same tactic used against the people of Ireland, keep
them voting until they comply with the EU. This isn’t democracy when it
happened to the Irish, and it wouldn’t be democracy if it happened here.
Nothing stops these people from campaigning for rejoin the EU down the line,
but the risk is that if the UK is a success post Brexit
then they wouldn’t have a case or a hope in hell of selling this to the people.

All these little incidents are all building up to social
unrest and then a backlash, the move away from the political elite to other
parties such as AfD, Alternative for Deutschland are pushing forward in
the country.

Angela Merkel’s allies Christian Social Union (CSU) took
37.2 percent of the vote in the recent elections, the party's worst performance
since 1950.

Of course the pro EU in the UK want time, the reason is
simple; they know at this point in time, they are swimming against the tide of
public opinion. The same ‘more time’ approach is also coming from EU chief
negotiator Michel Barnier. Barnier needs a good deal because it is also tied to
his political future. To some extent more time is acceptable in the interests
of fairness as Brexit negotiations enter a crucial stage. But goodwill
shouldn’t be seen as weakness by the EU, because just as goodwill can be
extended it can also be withdrawn.

These EU summits are just “part of the process” and not
the final decision-making event, we aren’t there yet, but we are still
travelling towards it. The issue of the Irish border is a sticking point, but
this isn’t as serious as it is hyped up to be. Things can be worked out.

At present, it is said that businesses, universities,
farmers, migrant workers and others across the UK can’t prepare for the
Brexit until they know the precise details of the deal. In the case of
universities who benefited from the EU gravy train in the form of grants, they
will have to ask the UK government
for more cash, they did rather well out of the EU, but the party is over. As to
migrant workers, there won’t be a ‘round up’ of people and them shipped off in
cattle trucks back to Europe, but there will be a registration process just as
non EU citizens living in the UK do.

One aspect which is laughable is when people like Catherine
Stihler say that the EU member states have approached the negotiations in a
comradely spirit; no they have not, quite the opposite. Guy Verhofstadt
has made it quite plain that he and others would seek to punish the UK for
leaving the European project. How Catherine Stihler can make out that anything
else is beyond me, given she doesn’t live in a cave!

Right at the start, I said the UK should go the way of hard Brexit or no
deal, this was because the EU was trying to extort money from the UK, no deal is
my preferred option. Then in a post Brexit world with no pressure a new trade
deal can be made if it is in the interests of the UK.

As events unfold in the talks, up pops Nicola Sturgeon to
say the only deal that is likely to secure Commons support is one where we
remain in both the Single Market and the Customs Union. This is unacceptable;
we don’t need or want EU membership by proxy and it would be a political disaster
for the Conservatives in an electoral sense.

When Catherine Stihler and group, legal action to establish
whether the UK can
unilaterally halt Brexit, I just shook my head, once the letter to leave goes
in, you cannot un-ring that bell.

There is no ‘take back’ in the process as far as my
understanding, and certainly if there were we would have heard about it before
now. So, legal action is a waste of time, it proves nothing, can change nothing
and Brexit rolls on! In this case, both the EU and the UK have accepted their obligations by
treaty, mutual consent, given the UK government wouldn’t be
asking to take back the letter; the EU is legally obliged to continue acting
within the parameters of the rules. Although treaties can be altered, there
isn’t a get out of jail free card on Article 50 on leaving. This is why I doubt
that the European Court of Justice can offer a definitive ruling on this
point.

Once the letter is handed over to leave, the clock starts!

I don’t blame Catherine Stihler for wanting to save her job,
that is only natural, but whether she wants to admit it or not, her time as an
MEP is drawing to a close. Her objective should be to seek another seat in
another parliament depending if she can find a constituency to take her on as a
prospective MP or MSP. The fact she cannot accept the outcome of a democratic
vote may cause her a few problems if she elects to seek office elsewhere in the
Labour Party.

Finally, the UK solution to the Irish border problem should
be quite simple, let the EU put up the border and then let the EU be the ‘bad
guys’, it might prompt the Irish to leave as well.

You may remember a few posts ago that I wrote that the Yes
Movement would eventually have to split from the SNP. However the question
remains have Scottish Independence Convention gone their own way or
is their new idea of a campaigning body just a sham?

Have the grassroots activists who support independence came
to realise that Nicola Sturgeon isn’t going to lead them to independence and
neither is the SNP?

It was always on the cards and plain to see what was going
with Nicola Sturgeon, she was buying time, not for independence support to
rise, but for her to hang on to the post of First Minister.

‘Scottish roubles’ is good roubles!

Today we see that the cross-party Scottish Independence Convention
(SIC) have launched a new campaign for Scottish independence. Although the
organisation is cross party, it isn’t supported by Labour, Conservatives or Lib
Dems. The purpose of the new campaign launch is to get a fundraising appeal on the
go for a non SNP organisation aimed at driving support for a Yes vote over 50%.
They want to make it cleat this is a separate entity from the SNP.

Scotland
has left the SNP behind, they are no longer relevant; an example of this is
Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit plan.

No one in Westminster
is listening to her; or her party or whatever input they put forward, Sturgeon
is talking to herself, she isn’t a power player in Brexit. She isn’t on any
team; her advice isn’t welcome and isn’t sought.

In short, she might as well be howling at the full moon!

If the public stump up the cash, the new organisation is supposed
to provide “front-foot media handling, strategic support, resources, messaging
and the administrative capacity” to help persuade No voters! Given the extensive nasty campaign of 2014, no
one is in any doubt what the Yes Movement is all about.

It is also said that the new body will bypass SNP ministers
to “develop strategy”, undertake public opinion research, and develop “messages
and campaign materials for the movement”.

Basically as I previously blogged, the independence movement
is repackaging itself, but the problem is, it is the same people, which is why
I wanted you to look at the above link.

People aren’t buying what the SNP are selling, people aren’t
buying what the Scottish Independence Convention is selling so they
think this new body will make a difference……. because it is new!

Has anyone ever told them that it doesn’t work that way, new
clothes on a pig doesn’t make it a swan!

At the SNP Conference, Nicola Sturgeon downplayed
independence and used the smokescreen of Brexit to buy her time up till 29
March 2019.

One thing which was a problem for Yes Scotland which I commented on at
the time was it was ‘run by the SNP, staffed by the SNP, for the benefit of the
SNP.

There were a few Scottish Greens and SSP to pad it out. Yes
Scotland Ltd remains a mothballed company under the control of an SNP lawyer. During
the campaign of 2014, the other minor parties complained about how their views
weren’t heard at Yes Meetings, and that speakers were SNP. As well as indy
campaign, the SNP used this as a vehicle and platform for their Westminster candidates.

One thing of interest, the new body would provide a
“rebuttal” service which is something which the SNP said they were going to do.

THE SNP launched a new “fact checking” service
designed to refute claims made by political opponents.

SIC convenor Elaine C Smith said:

“The dream of Independence
for Scotland
has been kept alive by all the various groups who keep working, campaigning and
marching. Now we’d like to get an official campaign up and running to allow us
to help organise further. At almost every meeting or event I have attended over
the past four years I have been bowled over by the self-organising and work
that is going on across the country. However I am always asked about a central
resource that can distribute and communicate what’s going on with all the other
groups. That’s what we aim to try and provide.”

When you look at some ‘various groups’, you see that they
are run by SNP members, this is the illusion of ‘board’ support that doesn’t
exist.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said:

“I am delighted with this initiative. I have a burning
desire to see a fairer and wealthier Scotland and the delivery of an
inclusive open society - independence offers that opportunity. We need to
inspire the people of Scotland
to come with us on the journey to independence. “Locally Yes Skye, Raasay and
Lochalsh are showing the leadership and engagement that is essential in growing
the level of support for independence.”

I would say one thing about what Blackford said….. Charles
Kennedy!

Scottish Green co-convenor Maggie Chapman said:

“I want our next campaign for independence to be our last
campaign for independence, because we must win it. A strong and effective
campaign organisation will be crucial to that success. Working across the
independence movement, that’s what SIC is determined to deliver.”

Isn’t there a lack of destiny about these people?

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“I was under the impression that there was already an
organisation devoted full time to campaigning for Scottish independence and it
was this Scottish Government. The SNP's own Growth Commission admits that
independence means years of cuts to public services.”

Pamela Nash, chief executive of the anti-independence group Scotland in Union,
added:

“The nationalist movement will never stop campaigning for a
second independence referendum, even though the majority of people in Scotland want
to move on from the divisions of the past. Rather than spend time setting up an
organisation in the hope of creating more constitutional chaos, most people
would rather there is a fresh focus on improving schools, our NHS, and the
economy.”

Having failed to deliver Scottish independence in 2014, the
Yes mob licked their wounds, took defeat badly, and have been plotting and
planning ever since; this new body is going to be drowned out because it is too
small. Who exactly will they be providing strategic support too, ever had a Scottish Independence Convention
leaflet pushed through your door?

Mostly likely never!

The SIC new body might have meetings, stalls, launches,
relaunches etc etc, but they are and will be a hollow shell, pretty much a paper
organisation which would struggle to mount a ground campaign. Nicola Sturgeon
has the full resources of the Scottish Government and she sees her support
falling, what chance has this lot got?

Repackaging the same broken product that the public rejected
doesn’t sell, there is no great demand for a poverty stricken independent Scotland.

They say with age brings wisdom; you could make the case for
that but what if someone goes the other way and starts babbling nonsense? How
do you react to that scenario? You either put up with it, tell them to shut up
or you bolt before they fry you brain with undue stress.

Kenny MacAskill has said the SNP ‘had a good conference with
Nicola Sturgeon’s speech’; the truth is her speech was lacklustre, boring,
devoid of excitement, and an exercise in managing the membership.

If having a good conference equals Nicola Sturgeon parroting
the obligatory sound bites then you can see why the SNP is in such dire
straits. This is a party which doesn’t have a narrative for the future. Brexit
left the SNP leadership high and dry as the UK moves
forward into this new stage of global Britain.

Nicola Sturgeon urging SNP supporters to be patient is a
face saving exercise to buy her time, because since she took over as leader
from Alex Salmond, she has lead the party on a downward spiral.

The polls don’t lie; Nicola Sturgeon has failed as a leader.

To attempt to paint a picture that the SNP are close to
their ultimate goal and it is in sight shows a lack of failure to grasp
reality, and while this continues with Sturgeon at the helm, their problems in
and out of government just increase.

One funny little story going the rounds is that the Glasgow
South SNP MP has said that the SNP would support a minority Labour government,
in exchange for getting rid of nuclear weapons. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has
rejected any possibility of a pact.

The UK isn’t
going to get rid of nuclear weapons.

If you know anything about politics, the only good thing
about the SNP Conference for Nicola Sturgeon is that it is over. MacAskill says
that internal party discipline remains strong, well given the SNP operates like
a cult, a party within a party, you would find this no surprise. The real
problem for the SNP is not those who are in the cult but those members who are
on the outside, the ‘worker bees’. Sturgeon’s problems have only been shunted
down the line to the next trial by fire, the next SNP Conference.

Although the Cult manages the agenda of the Conference, the
dissent will spill over into the fringe events first; then will come protests
outside. People will abandon the SNP and drift towards the Yes Movement which
will want to keep the SNP at arms length.

The SNP Conference was the same as usual, the bogeyman was
the Conservatives, with the SNP; the bogeyman is always going to be the
Conservatives. In what must be hype, hope or delusion, the former justice
minster said ‘Independence has
to be won but the union’s no longer so safe and secure’.

What he fails to grasp is that there is a new UK emerging
post Brexit!

There is a new UK emerging post Brexit which
the SNP have no part in developing, they are bystanders as the Constitution
evolves, this leaves the SNP unable to win independence because future changes
will leave them more isolated politically.

Having gone from 56 MPs to 35 MPs, in two years, the
direction of travel doesn’t place them in the driving seat.

On the issue of the wee silly marches, Kenny MacAskill
thinks that the recent Edinburgh march
was somehow a success, in that it was a ‘huge and symbolic event’, no, it
wasn’t huge and it wasn’t symbolic either. Saying this march galvanised the
cause as well as the conference is laughable, this SNP Conference was haunted
the spectre of one man who wasn’t there, Alex Salmond.

Alex Salmond, the ghost in the hall, the elephant not welcomed
in the room, the man of roubles. At present, he has his own troubles to contend
with;

One thing which will have read from me is that the next
Holyrood election is the most important since the parliament opened, which is
why there is the major argument for an early independence date with the
prospect that pro UK parties
will hold the majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament post-2021.

How long have I been going on about the 2021 election and
what is means?

Ages!!!!!!!!

Nicola Sturgeon cannot get a Section 30 order in this term
of Holyrood, and if it all goes pear shaped, post 2021, she might have enough
seats for minority government but at present not enough support in the
parliament to get a referendum bill through.

Where does that leave the SNP post 2021?

How long will the SNP members listen to Nicola Sturgeon’s
appeal for “Perseverance, Pragmatism and Patience” before they openly call for
new leadership and her removal, Salmond fell on his rubber sword, but will a coup
force Sturgeon out?

Finally, Kenny MacAskill highlights something which we all
know, he says the SNP need to get a grip of problems in the public services,
which the SNP effectively paid lip service to as they ran off to chase indy.
The problem is that the SNP don’t have a vision for public services, just as
they don’t have a vision for independence beyond hype.

The result of the next Holyrood election is becoming the new
priority for Scotland as
it is effectively ‘game over’ for Brexit, we are leaving. The fact the SNP is
stuck fighting Brexit when they can’t change it shows this is a party out of
steam, the SNP make no impact at Westminster beyond
their foolish petty childish antics, amazingly they think this passes for
strategy.

For the SNP, the challenge is how to deal with the post
Sturgeon landscape.